Sigma Alpha Iota

SAI CAREERS SAI Among Reviewers on Website Aiding New Artists H ave you ever wondered what possessed some of the less talented people to even attempt auditioning for American Idol? Inside their tone-deaf head they may think they are incredible but in reality (or as real as reality TV can get) the resulting notes are quite painful. Music is a craft that must be nurtured and practiced even if you were born with immense talent. Perhaps some people think they are destined for greatness due to false positive feedback — sort of like when you struck out every time at bat in Little League and your mom still said you played great. Despite setbacks, hopefully nothing should deter you from furthering your aims in music and constructive criticism is one of the best ways to learn and grow to become even better. For songwriters of any genre from classical to jazz, folk, rock, rap and everything in between to friends of composers, reviewyou.com is for you. New York-based music publicist Ariel Hyatt, founder of Ariel Publicity and Cyber PR, launched a site seven years ago where independent artists could safely go to get feedback on their music, both quickly and inexpensively but most important, objectively. Since then, over 30 writers have been added to meet the demand of music that comes pouring in every month from all genres around the world. Just a sampling of some of the CDs that can grace the editor's desk daily is a rock band from Idaho, a rap group from Hawaii and a jazz musician from France. Among those who write for Review You is Theta Kappa initiate Kelly O'Neil Hood. Hood was initiated into Theta Kappa at William Paterson University in New Jersey in 1999. Upon graduation she moved to Tennessee where she joined the Nashville Alumnae Chapter. After a time in Florida where she was both active in the Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando Alumnae Chapters, Kelly now resides in North Carolina where she is the vice president of the Raleigh Durham Alumnae Interest Group and is the National SAI Yearbook Directory Chairman. She began her career in Public Relations in NYC with a diverse clientele including Foreigner, Jessica Simpson and Sir James Galway.  Her journalism career launched when she moved to Nashville and wrote for CCM, U and CrossWalk magazines.  Kelly's freelancing credits include Reader's Digest, christianmusicplanet.com and christrock.com.  In addition to contemporary Christian music, Kelly is well versed in classical and jazz, having played in numerous ensembles, most notably the Nashville Philharmonic and Orlando Concert Band.  She met her husband over a mutual admiration for King Crimson and now resides in Raleigh where she assists him with his professional recording studio Request Records. Hyatt and her team have handpicked each of the writers and specifically assign certain albums to them to ensure that the artist is getting the best possible match to fit their needs. Not all the reviews may be positive, but they will be wellwritten by seasoned professionals who genuinely care about music and artist development. Upon receipt of the finished review, it is not only posted on the Review You website, but the artist now has a copy with which to learn from or hopefully to gloat about. Musicians have posted their reviews on their own websites and added it as an integral part to their press kits to help build credibility with booking agents and fans and possibly generate more album sales. Ultimately, an artist can use non-biased feedback such as what is offered at Review You to become a better musician. New York jazz vocalist Audrey Silver is a repeat customer with Review You and gave this testimonial: "It was wonderful to have the opportunity to be reviewed by someone who was knowledgeable about the kind of music I perform [jazz]. And the timing was perfect ... just when I needed to add a new review to my press kit." CLICK FOR MORE To learn more about Review You, visit www.reviewyou.com Ariel Hyatt, founder of ReviewYou sai-national.org SPRING 2011 PAN PIPES 13

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